Prasanthi Diary part 5 & 6 - The Chronicles of Heaven on Earth.

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November 15, 2008 – Sahasra Poorna Chandra Darshana Mahayagna Begins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A grand nightly view of the stage made for the yajnam

 

 

 

The

much awaited day of the Sahasra Poorna Chandra Darshana Mahayagna

finally arrived on November 15. The Sun also seemed to be in a hurry to

come out and see the beginning of the day! Crowds were slowly flowing

into Puttaparthi and though the resources available in the Spiritual

Capital of the Universe had not yet been tested to the hilt, massive

preparations were on for the inflow that was expected especially for

the concluding day. If one has the chance to go through reservations

archive of the roadways and railways to Puttaparthi and Bangalore, and

the Airways to Bangalore during this season, one would notice a waiting

list that was only the tip of the iceberg of the "waiting list" of

people wanting to be here for the occasion. And all this is only

because of the interest that Swami has taken up for this Yagnam. And He

has involved Himself so much because this Yagnam is for the welfare of

humanity. It is a self-reinforcing circle of Love - the Lord jumps in

whenever and wherever the devotees' welfare is concerned, and for the

devotee, welfare lies wherever and whenever the Lord jumps into any

activity!

Apart

from the arrangements for food and shelter for the inflow of devotees

at the Mandir, massive preparations had been made for the devotees at

the venue – the Vidyagiri stadium - itself. Huge screens had been

erected which could be seen easily and clearly even in broad daylight

so that the activities of the Lord could be "magnified" to the "correct

scale" for all to see! The sound systems were in place and seating

arrangements were elaborate. The entire ground had been covered with

waterproofing polymer material and it looked like a giant and neatly

trimmed lawn. There was a temporary medical centre with qualified

doctors to attend over any small illnesses like nausea and headaches.

It had only basic medicines but the general hospital and Super

Specialties hospital nearby continued to work with the staff

sacrificing the joys of seeing Swami for the joy of serving Him in

devotees, and that more than made up the elaborate and wholesome

complete medical attention that the devotees might have needed. All

gates were thrown open and "welcome all" was the body language of the

never tiring and ceaselessly working sevadals. The arrangements for the

residence, food and rest for the priests themselves were complete and

more on the gratifying than a satisfying note!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stadium starts filling...

 

 

 

Coming

to the actual proceedings of the day itself, Swami arrived into the

Vidyagiri stadium shortly after 9 a.m. in the Porte car. The energy and

enthusiasm levels just shot up. With the mere sight of the gray of

Swami's car, all the grayness of the morning got replaced with the

vibrant colours of love and adulation for the Lord. Swami's car slowly

moved on the road alongside the ladies’ galleries and reached the lift

on the western end of the stage. As Swami came out, an orange dot in

the huge stadium, all the giant screens came alive with His form and

the crowd rejoiced. In fact, it was a beautiful sight to see the car on

the road and the car in the screen too as the car actually passed by

the screen. Swami slowly came onto the lift and soon was on the stage.

Simultaneously crackers went off at the Hanuman statue in celebration

of His arrival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami's arrival raised the crowd to their feet

 

 

 

The giant screens ensured that none miss the action

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A smile and blessing as He moves out of the car

 

 

 

The stage awaited for the touch of His feet

 

 

 

The

stage setting too was something so grand and divine that any

description would not be able to give the complete idea. The eyes would

have to see the myriad colours of the flowers and the beautiful form of

Lord Venkateshwara completely bedecked with flowers and jeweled finery

right in the centre stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lord of the Seven hills to preside over!

 

 

 

 

It is said that whenever there is the Sahasra Chandra Darshanam

celebrated, an elder blesses the one completing the "thousand moon

sighting." It was as if the Lord of the seven hills had come to bless

Swami for the occasion for who else can confer blessings upon the Lord

other than the Lord Himself? The ears would have to hear the chants of

the priests and Swami's beloved students who were rightly charged up

from the minute one! That combined with the music and the naadaswaram

seemed to conjure some celestial harmony. The nose would have to

breathe in the wafting fragrance of the incense and the fresh fruits

and flowers. The tongue would have to taste the sweetness of the name

that pervaded the entire stage and the skin would have to sense the

powerful vibrations that seemed to resound and resonate with the gently

twirling of Swami's hands. And now, to get an idea of what it felt on

the stage, all of the above would have to be combined and felt in an

instant!

Swami was

welcomed onstage with the Poorna Kumbham amidst chanting by the priests

and the students. Swami moved through the stage blessing all the ritwiks who

had gathered there. As He neared the students, He had a tiny smile that

escaped the corner of His lips – He was proud, and that pride stemmed

from the fact that His students had mastered the Vedic hymns and were

today chanting on the same level alongside the ritwiks from all over the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A traditional welcome

 

 

 

He has a special place for His students there too

 

 

 

 

Once He reached the shrine in the centre of the stage, He gave

permission for the Yagnam to begin. Morning rituals included the

chanting of the names of Lord Ganesha, the Lord who removes obstacles,

a hundred thousand times followed by Sahasra Modaka Ganapathi Homam by

62 rithwiks from the Sringeri Sharada Peetham. This was followed by

Shatha Rudra Abhishekam and Navagraha Japam — chanting of 10,000 names

for each of the nine grahas, which was to continue till evening. Of the 12 homa kundas,

only three were lit for the day, one each for Maha Ganapathi Homam,

Sudarshana Homam and Maha Mruthyunjaya Homam. Lakshmi Narayana Puja was

performed to the main deity of Sahasra Poorna Chandra Darshanam. Now,

the rituals performed on the stage are so vast in their content and

significance that one can go on writing volumes about them. Let us

concentrate on Swami's reactions and actions instead.

After a few minutes in the center, Swami wanted to grant darshan

to all the devotees who had gathered there braving the heat of the Sun

and tedium of waiting for hours to see their sweet Lord. Forgive the

inappropriate language! For the devotee, waiting for the Lord is never

tedious. The very thought of the sight of the Lord seems to tingle

energy into the enervated nerves and muscles. Swami moved till the very

end of the stage and as He saw His beloved devotees sitting, His eyes

lit up. There was such a joyous response on the devotees' side too. The

Lord and His devotees seem to become one, lost in the bliss of seeing

each other. Swami was the Sun from whom the green lawns of the devotees

derived their life from! After a while, Swami moved slowly on the

stage. Everywhere, some activity was on and those chanting were lost in

their own worlds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No mega screen matches the joy of seeing Him directly...

 

 

 

....And they will surely

vouch for that!

 

 

 

The

time then came for the sacred fire to be lit. The priests came together

and the ceremonial churning and rubbing of wooden blocks to produce

fire in the most natural way began. The experience during the yagnam at

Dusshera is that the fire springs to life in a minute or two. But this

day, the "spark" seemed to be missing! After the sweaty efforts of half

a dozen or so priests, the sweet Lord volunteered, "Shall I bless?" It

was then that the to-be embers were brought up for His blessings. The

touch of that Hand that has lighted up many lives brought life into the

embers too and in a few moments after that, the "spark" seemed to have

arrived! The wisps of smoke came and the fledgling fire was held up for

all to see. Finally, the Yagna kundam was roaring and alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting for that "elusive spark"!

 

 

 

The sacred fire is lit and offerings begin!

 

 

 

Swami

then continued His rounds to various corners of the stage. His sole

concern seemed to be for those souls seated in the stadium pining to

see Him. He moved through the priests and along the students who were

chanting the Vedas. Then, cutting through them, He arrived at the east

side of the stage and sitting by the receptacles holding waters of all

the holy rivers, He became the ocean into which all the rivers of

devotion from the gents’ side merged into. He then moved to the western

side of the extended Shanti Vedika and mirrored the actions performed

at the other side. He blessed the ladies this time and they were so

happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granting darshan to those in the gents' galleries...

 

 

 

....and then to those on the ladies' side

 

 

 

Just there, there were priests who were performing the sashtang namaskars

(lying fully prostrate). Swami sat for a while watching them as they

went about religiously and athletically performing it. They stood on

one leg and revolved around 360 degrees many times. Then they did what

can be called as the religious equivalent of the athletic pushups.

Seeing the rigour they were going through, one could not help but well

in gratitude for the simple ways of pleasing the Lord that Swami has

prescribed for all of us. Swami continued moving around and spoke to

some of the ritwiks. All of them were vying for a picture with Him and it was indeed an amusing sight to see the Vedic ritwiks

take out mobile phones to take His picture! Anything done to capture

God is justified! Swami similarly moved to the back side of the stage

where more rituals were in progress. He cast His gracing glance on all

and it was indeed a very fulfilling feeling for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rigours of the ritwiks!

 

 

 

The Poornahuthi for the day is performed

 

 

 

The Poornahuthi or complete offering to the sacrificial fire was done. Each day, different Homams were scheduled and their respective poornahuthis

would be done on that day itself. The priest came with the bundle of

offerings to Swami and the Lord blessed it to be lowered into the fire.

After spending more than 90 minutes going around the different parts of

the stage and blessing the entire congregation, Swami accepted arati

at 10:25 a.m. before retiring to His Divine Abode. The Navagraha Japam

continued till 12:30 p.m. In the afternoon, Sudarshana Japam has been

scheduled to be from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Sundarshana Homam from 4:30

to 6:30 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mangala Aarthi in full public view

 

 

 

Its goodbye and Sairam for the day

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon, Swami arrived at Sai Kulwant Hall at 5.20 p.m. He

moved through the ladies’ side and it was the detour through the

Primary children then. It was the penultimate day of the Bhagawatha

Saptaham and the decoration of Govardhanagiri (the hill Lord Krishna

lifted to save the cowherds of Vrindavan from prosecution by Indra, the

king of devas and rain) was done on the idol of Venugopala Swami. The

idol was beautifully placed on a swing, with priests continuously

swaying the Lord. After 15 minutes, the speaker for the day was

introduced. Dr. Rajagopala Chakravarthy spoke for an hour on the

stories of Ambareesa and Kuchela, with references to nuances from other

Shastras. King Ambarisha’s story is another powerful reminder of the

fact that the Lord can be won only by love and devotion and that only

the devotee is stronger than the Lord! Sage Durvasa, famous for his

anger, loses temper when the king breaks his fast, so the auspicious

time is not past by sipping a few drops of water before the sage has

eaten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The decked 'Govardhanagiridhaari' idol

 

 

 

Dr. Rajagopala Chakravarthy

 

 

 

When

he creates a demon to kill the king, the chakra of Lord Vishnu appears

and annihilates the demon and almost does the same to sage Durvasa too

but he is saved as he falls at Ambarisha's feet. Kuchela or Sudhama was

Krishna's poor friend whom the Lord remembered and redeemed. The Lord

never forgets anyone. As the speaker concluded, Swami created a gold

chain for him. As he gratefully fell at Swami's feet and accepted the

chain, Swami showered him with clothes and blessed him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrilled to recieve from the divine hands...

 

 

 

He has only smiles to speak of his joy

 

 

 

The

next programme was a classical Carnatic concert by the Priya sisters -

Shanmukha Priya and Hari Priya. The Priya sisters began their concert

at 6.30 p.m. and sang for nearly an hour. The first song was an

invocation to Lord Ganesh in Raga Naatai – Mahaganapatim Manasasmarami.

That seemed only like a warm up for what was to come. They sang many

popular songs and to name a few - Bantureeti Koluviyyavayya Rama… sung in Hamsa Nada Raga, Mudakarata Modakam Sadavimukti Sadhakam… in Yamuna Kalyani Raga, Jo Achyuthananda Jo Jo Mukunda…

in Neelambari Raga. This song, which is specifically sung as a lullaby

song, had a special significance on the evening of this day’s programme

because Lord Venugopala Swami was being continuously swayed in the

swing. The highlight song however was a bhajan - Jai Maa Jai Maa Jagadeeshwari Sai Maa. The timing of that bhajan was such a divine drama.

As

the sisters sat on that part of the stage which had the rods in front

blocking the view, the cameraman giving the live feed into the huge

display screen in Sai Kulwant Hall seemed to struggle to get a good

view to be screened for all to see. At precisely that moment, Swami

said that He wanted to go into the interview room. Taking this break,

the cameraman readjusted and within minutes there was a good view on

the screen. All were happy to witness on the big screen what they could

never see with their eyes. And exactly then, Swami came out of the

interview room and the sisters began that bhajan. Swami had a

sweet smile on His face and that was picture perfect for the outpouring

of devotion and emotions that the raga of that bhajan elicits

from the listeners and singers alike! As they completed their concert,

Swami blessed them with sarees and photos. It was 7:30 p.m. as Swami

retired to the Yajur Mandir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wonderful efforts of the Priya sisters...

 

 

 

....and their apt reward!

 

 

 

November 16, 2008 – The Second Day of Sahasra Chandra Darshana Mahayagna

The

second day of the Yagna had a different kind of start. If it was the

Sun that came out early to see Him the previous day, it was the turn of

the clouds and rain to do so this day. The day was a ‘Sun’day

but it stopped at that! From early in the morning, what began as heavy

showers reduced to a gentle drizzle that went on and on. But that could

not dampen in the least the spirits of the devotees. In this context,

it is important that we flashback to a few weeks earlier when Swami was

inspecting the stage being constructed. At that time, Swami had

suddenly asked about what would be the case if it happened to rain

during the yagnam. People were taken aback a bit because rains in the

heart of winter at Puttaparthi are something that are rare if not

absent. And even if it would rain, it would be so less that a least bit

of protection would suffice. Here it is pertinent to recollect what

Swami Himself declared during His Vijayadashami discourse,

"Sathyanarayana does not speak even one word lightly. It is always

Truth, Truth and Truth." He knew that the heavens would open out for

even the gods above would have loved to be a part of this grand event!

 

As stated before, the rains could do nothing to wash away the

enthusiasm of the devotees pouring down on Puttaparthi. In fact,

greater than the rains were the flocks of devotees as it was the

weekend too. Anything that could afford some protection from the rains

was used by the devotees. Umbrellas, raincoats, plastic bags and even

kerchiefs were used as defense against the rain. The downpour also

induced camaraderie and unity as dozens of people spread huge plastic

sheets above them and held them that way as they moved about in herds.

Umbrellas dotted the huge stands and it was so amazing to see that

people still wanted to catch the front seats and await the Lord.

Meanwhile, the huge screens in Sai Kulwant Hall too were active in case

anybody wanted to sit in the shelter there and have a look at the

proceedings going on. The proceedings on the stage were different from

the ones the previous day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The heavy downpour fizzled at their devotion...

 

 

 

Waiting eagerly for His arrival

 

 

 

Two

main rituals for the second day of the Yagna were Satharudra Abhishekam

and Maha Mrithyunjaya Homam. Satharudra Abhishekham was performed to

the Sayeeshwara Lingam that was consecrated during the Ati Rudra Maha

Yagna held in the year 2006. Abhishekham was done to the Lingam with milk, curds, clarified butter, turmeric paste, sugar, vibhuthi

(holy ash), coconut water, etc. Maha Rudrabhishekam is performed

invoking greater benediction from Lord Rudra. As each of these items

were offered under strict religious discipline with accompaniment of

vedic mantras, the Linga that was charged by the Divine hands

during the Atirudra Ceremony was shining in splendour evoking nostalgic

memories. The Sarva Veda Shaka parayanam (where all the branches of the

Vedas come together) was also on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new occupant on stage!

 

 

 

It

was about 9:30 a.m. as Swami arrived and there were two huge tuskers

waiting to welcome Him. The pachyderms, procured from Kerala, were well

trained and they stood in all their might and glory on either side of

the Vedika (dais). As Swami came out of the car, a colourful

and wide umbrella was held above Him denying Varuna devata (the God of

water) His chance of sparshan with the Lord! But He satisfied

him too as He took on the fine micro-droplets that fell on Him,

bouncing off the nearby surfaces. Swami then came on stage and

everything seemed to gather life and momentum. Especially the students

chanting Vedam became so charged and they drowned all other chanting on

the stage. Very soon Swami was at the centre of things and the stage

when his holiness Parama Pujya Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji, the Pontiff of Avadhoota Datta Peetham at Sri Ganapati

Sachchidananda Ashrama in Mysore, came on stage paying obeisance to

Swami. He was escorted to Swami and the Lord blessed him with a smile.

He enjoyed the rare honour and privilege of sitting on a chair beside

Swami and was also blessed with a few words from Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Man and beast alike rejoiced as He came

 

 

 

Watching the lingabhishekam from up close

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "orange" of "sacrifice" seemed all pervasive

 

 

 

Sri Ganapati Sachidananda Swamiji is blessed!

 

 

 

As

is the case always, Swami's heart was with His devotees. And the fact

that they were enduring the rain to just glimpse Him made Him get

irresistibly attracted to the front of the stage. It was a sight to

see. As Swami reached there, all the umbrellas rose higher and plastic

sheets got dropped as people prostrated from their places to Him. Swami

was saying, "Paapam" (poor ones) seeing that the people were getting

wet. A few minutes after this the drizzle also subsided. The tuskers,

trained in the temple traditions, raised their trunks in salute to

Swami and the crowd cheered this act of the huge tusked mammoths. Swami

seemed amused as He saw them perform the pranam without even

being aware of what they were doing (or maybe they were aware and it is

we who think that it was their training that made them do so!).

Whatever be the case, it was a wonderful sight. The stage atmosphere

was magnificent what with 150 priests sitting around chanting Vedic mantras

and performing rituals along with 150 boys chanting the powerful

Rudram. Once again, like the previous day, Swami moved to various sides

and corners of the stage, blessing devotees gathered there and having a

look at the rituals being performed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami watches on...

 

 

 

....as the tusker salutes

 

 

 

The Maha Mrithyunjaya Homam was done, invoking immortality for all the living beings. The two hour long homam

was done by the Chief Priest for the Yagnam. With the accompaniment of

holy chants and with Swami presiding over, Poornahuthi was offered to

the Yagna Purusha. This whole Yagna had been called the "Vishwa

Prapancha Maha Yagna" as it is being done for the welfare of all

humanity. It was 10:30 a.m. when Swami retired to Yajur Mandir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day's Poornahuthi is performed

 

 

 

Face to Face with The Lord!

 

 

 

The evening saw Swami entering the swelled up Sai Kulwant Hall at 4:40 p.m. As Swami came to the dais, the priests started abhishekam (ceremonial sacred bath) of the idols of Lord Krishna, and also Rukmini and Sathyabhama (the consorts of Lord Krishna). The abhishekam

was done with religious fervour accompanied by the chanting of Vedas by

students and priests. As the ceremonial bathing of the idols with milk,

curd, honey, diluted sandal paste, tender coconut and Kumkum continued

in the traditional way, the students chanted Sri Rudram, Purusha

Suktam, Sri Suktam, Bhu Suktam and Narayana Upanishad from the Vedas.

After each ceremonial bathing with water, the idols were dried with

soft cloth and arati was offered to the Lord. Lord Krishna

with His consorts was garlanded with different types of garlands. If it

was Tulasi (basil) garland one time, it was a fragrant rose garland

next time. The entire ritual was performed with such scrupulousness and

devotion. An LED screen placed at the eastern side of the Hall, gave a

view of the entire landscape of the proceedings. After completing the abhishekams,

elaborate decoration was done on the idols. It was a sight to watch the

Lord and His consorts adorned with jewels and gems of exquisite beauty

and diadems on the head. After this, it was the turn of Sahasraavadhani

Medasani Mohan, another erudite scholar to conclude the proceedings of

the Bhagavata Saptaham. He dilated at length on Sri Krishna Leela,

right from the Lord's birth to His killing of demons and His childhood

pranks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bath with milk...

 

 

 

....and the one with honey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scented water as a grand finale

 

 

 

Beautifully decked and ready for the evening

 

 

 

 

If it was the mellifluous rendition of Priya sisters the previous day,

it was the beautiful compositions and their singing in ornate style by

Malladi Brothers from Vijayawada this day. All their songs were sung in

Carnatic classical style. Bhagawan released a DVD "Sai Naada Jhari"

sung by the brothers. As it was being released, a song from the album,

Sai Namasmaranam Sada Rupa Dhyanam was played on the public address

system. Their father, who also happens to be their Guru, gave a lead to

the songs in the form of a verse melodiously. They sang out many

renditions of the poems composed on Swami by the devotee poet Santhisri

Jandhyala Papayya Shastri. Ramadas and Thyagaraja kirtans adorned their

presentations. One beautiful composition that won many accolades was

one which said, "Swami, I have taken Your Grace and blessings in times

of misery without Your knowledge. I am thus a thief and so please hold

me and never let me go!" Among other songs, the song for the occasion

was Sathya Paritraana, Dharma Paala, Santhi Varada, Prema Swarupa Sai…

This raga "Sai Chandrika" needs special mention here as it was invented

by Malladi Brothers themselves. Sai Chandrika is the derivative of

Kokila Priya Raga, which is the 11th raga in the list of 72 Mela Kartha

Ragas (fundamental ragas) in the Carnatic School of Music. Since it was

the 83rd Birthday of Bhagawan, the 11th raga in Carnatic music, i.e.,

83 subtracted by 72 Mela Kartha Ragas was chosen as the raga for this

song.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Sai Naada Jhari" is released

 

 

 

Lost in the joy of singing His glories

 

 

 

As they concluded their concert, Swami blessed them with silk clothes. He also blessed prasadam to be distributed to all before receiving aarthi and leaving for Yajur Mandir.

November 17, 2008 – The Glorious Final Day of the Sahasra Chandra Darshana Mahayagna

On

November 17, the wonderful day dawned. A day for which everyone had

eagerly waited for and had borne with many hardships as though they

were great pleasures, a day which would get etched in the hearts of

people and humanity for times to come as a sample of the glory and

grandeur of God on earth. In an act of great Love and kindness, Swami

had agreed to arrive into the Yagnashala in the golden chariot! More

often than not when History is made, those that are part of it scarcely

realize its worth and magnitude. But that was not the case when History

("His Story, God's Story") was etched in Gold on November, the 17 th

2008 at Prasanthi Nilayam. The significance of the occasion was not

lost to the thousands of devotees who had thronged to the Hill View

Stadium. In the wee hours of a chill November morning they waited for

the Sun of their lives to arrive. They yearned to celebrate His life

that had presided over a thousand moons, the thousand moons being a

metaphor. They had gathered to celebrate His presiding over the minds

(the mind is compared to the moon) of men, directing the thought of the

world towards goodness and godliness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting for the Sanathana Sarathi

 

 

 

People

started filing in great numbers to the Hill View stadium. They came in

various modes - by foot, on motor vehicles, cycle rickshaws, on

crutches, in wheelchairs - you name it and it was there. From all

directions, people were headed towards the ground. The name "Sairam"

continuously emanated from the lips and hearts of everyone. The

charging in the atmosphere must have been felt and one could relive it

throughout one’s life. The speakers in the stadium were pouring out

songs specially recorded for the occasion by top artists of India -

Shankar Mahadevan, S.P.Balasubramanyam and Hariharan. The stands were

full and people were just flowing in. Surely, there would be many

absentees on this Monday in offices everywhere for though not a

holiday, it was a holy-day of unprecedented proportions. The golden

chariot was waiting in the Primary School premises. It surely would

have known the great privilege it was being granted this day. It seemed

to be sparkling with even greater shine and one felt that a smile could

be noticed on the faces of the golden horses that were drawing the

chariot. One just had to move through the crowds and the pulsating

energy and vibrating excitement could easily be felt. There was an

anticipative joy everywhere and everyone was aware that they were about

to witness something that would be passed down generations as a legend.

Generations to come would surely say, "My (great)

grandfather/grandmother/uncle/aunt saw the Lord on the golden chariot!"

 

Swami arrived to the Primary School

premises in the Porte car and as He came out, everyone in the proximity

let out gasps of joy as the Lord was dressed in resplendent golden

yellow. A mere sight of Him moistened the eyes nearby and like a flash

of lightning, news spread in the stadium that the Lord was in the pitambara. The traditional "control rod" of the chariot was presented to Swami and He accepted and blessed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "golden" surprise that He had planned!

 

 

 

Mr. Chettiar presents the sceptre

 

 

 

 

This meant that He had granted His permission for the chariot to move.

A beautiful wooden lift got its own line in this glorious page of

history as it conveyed the Lord up the chariot. Once Swami was seated,

the gates were thrown open and the chariot began to move. A wonderful

song struck up the melody and everyone watched with gaping mouths as

Swami came out into the Sun from the shade. The sight of Swami on the

“Suvarna Ratham” erupted goose bumps on the skin. It is not even the

slightest exaggeration to say that even the Sun seemed to pale in front

of that majesty. People began to spontaneously cry and there were tears

flowing generously everywhere. Everyone rose up and stretched out their

hands with palms facing Swami in order to grasp some of that

splendorous glory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah! The glory.....

 

 

 

.....spontaneous and moving expressions

 

 

 

No

one seemed to know how to react. Mothers and fathers burst out in

tears. The children too were crying. And at the same time, all were

beaming their best smiles. Many old people strained their eyes and

exuded feelings that their lives had been sanctified. A peaceful smile

lit up their faces. But that was the case even with the

youngsters...and the women ....and the priests - with just everyone who

were witnessing it. It was a conglomeration of powerful positive

emotions. And amidst that powerful storm of emotions, Swami sat so

serene and beautiful, gently swaying His hands and a lovely smile

dancing on His lips. The sight in itself was maddeningly beautiful and

is one of those for which souls wait for births together to view. A

huge procession led the chariot. The Institute brass band and the

students of the Vedam chanting were followed by the huge tuskers and

finally the baby Gita who also seemed to realize the magnificence of

the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The regal procession moves gently...

 

 

 

....led by the little Gita

 

 

 

 

Oh! What a sight it was, a sight for all mankind. The crowd burst into

raptures at so marvelous a scene. There were two Suns out there; one up

in the heavens and another upon the earth. Dazzling and soothing alike,

unmoved yet propelling, aloof but alluring, a tender sunflower and a

diamond studded in gold, grand and godly, the King arrived upon a hill

of gold. The devotees gaped openhearted, drinking every moment, to

slake the thirst of their souls, to imprint in their hearts a golden

moment when the Lord arrived gliding in gold. There were two Suns nay

there were thousands; in the glistening eyes of every devotee there was

embossed the flame of gold. Oh! What a sight it was, a sight for the

gods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The unforgettable experience nears culmination

 

 

 

In

the villages it is said that if one wants to watch the Sun one gets

ready to get ones eyes burnt. So one is advised to mix cow dung in

water and look at the reflection of the Sun in that blackened water.

That way, one can watch the Sun and also be safe. Looking at Swami, the

joy that would burst through one’s being would make one just drop down

in sheer ecstasy. Like looking at the Sun through its reflection, it

was enough to see the reflection of that sheer joy in the faces of the

devotees. They were absolutely crazed with joy. As it was told by many

later on, everyone felt that Swami granted them a special glance.

The

omnifelicity that our Lord has to be added to the list of His

attributes of omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience. The people who

pulled the chariot, on their part, tugged it so very gently and slowly,

and won the blessings of thousands who were blessed with that beautiful

darshan. How much ever is written, the feelings, emotions and

spiritual ecstasy that coursed through all cannot be captured. It was

like being transported into another surreal world completely devoid of

worries of any kind with only sheer joy to be offered to all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An ocean of humanity pays homage

to the ocean of compassion

 

 

 

 

As

the procession moved on, Swami gently blessed the devotees assembled

everywhere. And His upraised hand on this day seemed to be conferring

special blessings if one were to read the reactions on the faces of

those in whose direction Swami blessed. Explosions went off at the

Hanuman statue but they were reduced to a miniscule in effect compared

to the explosions of joy in hearts. It was definitely one of those

times when the Lord out of His infinite Love decides to confer on all,

irrespective of all distinctions, a blessing that would transform them

for times to come - a blessing that has no reason or rationale, for

that is the nature of Divine Love. Personally, we feel that we have not

seen anything grander in our lives nor would we ever see it again,

unless of course Swami repeats History or ‘His Story’ as He refers to

it! The Sanathana Sarathi was in His chariot and what else is there to

be said?

18 Divine minutes of some

of the most beautiful times since the Big Bang later, Swami reached the

stage. There, before moving onto the stage, Swami sat on the chariot

watching the thousands and spreading that aura of uncontrollable joy to

all. Then He slowly moved onto the stage where He was welcomed by the

traditional Poornakumbham. Earlier the proceedings for the final day

began at 6:30 a.m. with Ganapathi pooja and special sankalpa for the homam.

The priests, in groups, gathered around the 10 homa kundas

offering ghee and boiled rice with the accompaniment of Vedic chanting,

that went on for almost 2 hours. After Swami entered the Yagna Vedika,

this being the concluding day, the Lakshminarayana Poornahuti was

performed for the Yagna. The priests chanted sacred Vedic Mantras in

unison, Veda chanting students chanted Sri Rudra Prasna, Purusha

Suktam, Sri Suktam and Durga Suktam as Swami was giving darshan to devotees from the Vedika (dais). And Swami was just the same sweet self moving to all corners and sides of the Vedika granting darshan. Another feature on this day was the wide array of Mathadipathis

(heads of Maths) from different Maths of India. These luminaries are

the heads of prominent Maths in India. They had come to share in the

joy of this auspicious function and were also privileged to share the

dais with Swami. They were: Sri Sri Sri Dr. Shivakumara Swamigalu, Head of Sri Siddaganga Math, Tumkur - a nonagenarian who also spoke a few words in Kannada on this occasion, Sri Jagadguru Madhwacharya, Mahasamsthana Pejawara Mathadeesha H.H. Sri Vishwesha Tirtha of the Dwaitha Matha, Sri Sri Sri 1008 Sri Sushameendra Thirtha from the Mantralayam Peetham, Sri Jagadguru Kanchi Kamakoti Peetadhipathi Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal. Also was present Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra who had the privilege of sharing the dais with Bhagawan and receiving His blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greeted by spiritual personages

 

 

 

Blessing them by mere sight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The proceedings proceed towards fruition

 

 

 

The head priest then came forward to seek Bhagavan's blessings to go ahead with the poornahuti

(final offering marking the end of the holy sacrifice). Bhagavan

consented and then proceeded to each of the 12 fire pits to personally

supervise the poornahuti. Flowers, fruits, cereal, clothes

along with copious amounts of ghee were offered to the presiding

deities accompanied by holy chants. With Bhagavan going around to each

of the pits, it appeared as if He personally arrived to accept the

offerings being made to Him. He would sit sweetly braving the smoke.

And then He materialised a golden chain for the priest at the end of

the whole exercise. The poornahuti done, Bhagavan went about inspecting the Sooryanamaskars (prostrations to the Sun God), Sundarakanda parayana (Recital

of the glory of Hanuman from The Valmiki Ramanaya) that had been

diligently conducted for over three days. Having profusely blessed all

the participants and satiated all, He went and seated Himself at the

front of the stage from where He could be viewed by the thousands that

had thronged to the Hill View stadium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The final Poornahuthi....

 

 

 

Swami blessed one of the ritwiks with a gold chain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And all the others with beautiful darshan

 

 

 

The

seers seated at the rear end of the stage followed and the front of the

stage was now decorated with revered pontiffs with the Lord in their

midst. It was so wonderful to see the bright yellow amidst the row of

saffron. The various seers proceeded to personally pay their respects

to Bhagavan and offer Him gifts on behalf of their sects. The TTD

(Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam) Trust offered a Bhagavad Geeta. This

most auspicious and holy function concluded with Jaikars “Bhagawan Sri

Sathya Sai Baba Ki Jai” and the offering of aarati to

Bhagavan at 11.00 a.m. Simultaneously, a helicopter came hovering above

dropping confetti and paper-stars to add to the colour of the occasion.

The teertham from the occasion was also dropped on all the devotees from the helicopter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Glorious Golden God!

 

 

 

The

afternoon program was scheduled at 5:00 p.m. in the Sai Kulwant Hall.

Bhagavan arrived at 4:30 p.m. in a chair. He proceeded to take a

complete round through the devotees on both the sides before seating

Himself on the stage. On the stage was set the resplendent idol of Lord

Sri Krishna and Rukmini. The afternoon's proceeding was the symbolic

and ceremonial marriage of Lord Sri Krishna and Rukmini. Bhagavan

watched intently as the priest conducting the nuptial ceremony went

through the proceedings in accordance with the Hindu marriage ritual.

The significance of the event was to proclaim the union of Prakrithi (Mother Nature) and Paramathma (God). After the elaborate ceremony Bhagavan proceeded to give away gifts to the priests who had conducted the entire ritual.

The Mangalasutrams

(‘Mangalasutram’ means an auspicious thread or cord or gold necklace)

for the celestial wedding was first shown by a priest to the entire

audience on either side. Then the gold necklaces were placed on the arm

of Lord Krishna. After some time, the necklaces were removed and worn

round the neck of Rukmini and Sathyabhama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mangala sutram is blessed by Swami

 

 

 

The Rukmini Kalyanam is performed

 

 

 

 

Thus, the ceremonial wedding was performed to the thunderous applause

of devotees. Flower garlands were exchanged between the idols of Sri

Krishna and Rukmini and Sathyabhama. After this, there was a brief

period of chanting of Sama Veda by the priests. Mahamangala arati

was offered to the idols at the end of this ceremony. The priests

chanted Vedic Mantras religiously standing in front of Sai Krishna.

Bhagavan blessed the priests with mementoes. He then materialised a

gold chain for the head priest of the Yagna, Sri Lakshminarayana

Somayaji. Bhagawan then went amidst the priests of the Yagna. Then, as

is His wont, (He can never stop giving) He went around giving a bonus

round of darshan to the priests and then to all the devotees too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sacred bond sworn in by fire

 

 

 

The multiple lamps Aarthi for Krishna

 

 

 

 

After the Rukmini Kalyanam, there was a concert by Ms. Mahalakshmi Iyer

and party. She began her performance with a Marathi song, which was

dedicated to Lord Ganesha and Guru (preceptor). Her second song was a

Mira Bhajan and the third was a composition for the occasion, Sahasra

Poorna Chandra Darshana Mahotsavam, the meaning of which was, "As long

as there is water in the Ganges, may the Lord Sathya Sai live (!).

Whatever the world may say, I should always love and worship You. I

should always cling on to Your Lotus Feet." Some more popular songs

followed culminating with the song, "Damadam Mast Kalandar …" which

enlivened interest in the audience. One could see the audience joyfully

clapping to the song. Swami then called the Malladi brothers to come

and occupy the stage. They were quick to follow His instructions.

Starting their performance with "Radha Sameta Krishna …” they followed it up with a livelier song, "Shambo Mahadeva ..." in Panthuvarali raga.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Mahalakshmi Iyer and party

 

 

 

The Malladi brothers join in the "party"

 

 

 

And

then, the master plan of the Lord became evident as all the pundits and

scholars seated in the front began to sway and sing alongside the

brothers as these were all songs that they knew well by heart! The

brothers' concert of just 15 minutes met with vociferous following and

the fact that they were in Telugu only added to their popular appeal.

As they concluded, Swami gifted sarees and clothes to the first performers, and then to the latter performers too. Prasadam was distributed to all the devotees in the end. The arati

for this memorable day was offered at 8.10 p.m. Thus, concluded the

grand and glorious Sahasra Poorna Chandra Darshana Mahotsavam festival

which will ever remain etched in the hearts of everyone who was present

physically or emotionally at Prasanthi Nilayam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chaala Santosham - Very Happy!

 

 

 

 

__________Rathotsavam Day and Ladies Day CelebrationsNovember 18, 2008 – Rathotsavam Day in Prasanthi Nilayam

It

is tradition in Prasanthi Nilayam that on November 18 every year, the

idol of Venugopala Swami moves back to its original location in a

chariot procession led by the idols of Lord Rama and Mother Sita. After

worship is offered to the deities, the idols of Rama, Lakshmana and

Sita return to the Mandir. Later, in the evening, the idols are taken

out in a procession in the village of Puttaparthi, amidst joyous

celebration by the villagers. And so, this year too on November 18, the

statues were ready in the Bhajan Hall decked up and waiting for Swami

to arrive. It was after 9:20 a.m. that Swami came for darshan. He headed into the Bhajan Hall after the darshan round. There were still huge crowds - spillovers from the previous day’s event and new arrivals for dear Swami's birthday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idols await in all readiness

 

 

 

Swami entered the Bhajan Hall and all the students dressed in red dhotis

gathered there began the chanting. Swami had a look at the idols and

the priest added on a few decorations in Swami's presence. Swami also

had a special crown that was made for Venugopalaswami, and so, the

Krishna adorned with the flute was crowned with that pretty piece. Aarthi was performed to the idols and Swami enquired into the proceedings of the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The much awaited entry!

 

 

 

The final Aarthi before the procession

 

 

 

The

Sevadal volunteers then came up till the idols and raised the

palanquins on their shoulders. With the Veda contingent leading the

procession, the bhajan group boys also joined in and heralded the

statues towards the Gopuram gate of the Mandir. Swami moved out of the

bhajan hall and saw the idols being taken out. He too followed suit

through the central path that was made between the boys seated in the

marble blocks. As Swami moved down, all the students took the

opportunity to touch Him in some way or the other and there were many

who were trying to give letters to Him. Swami seemed to say, "I will

take them on My way back!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waving off the procession from the veranda...

 

 

 

He too joins in the procession

 

 

 

Huge floral decorations (rangolis)

adorned the floor and Swami saw them intently as He passed by them.

Then, through the Gopuram gate, Swami too moved out onto the road. The

whole world seemed to be waiting for Him there as every inch of real

estate had been taken up. The balconies were brimming with people and

devotees thronged to whichever place afforded them a view of their dear

Lord. Many snapped pictures for this was one of those rare times when

they would be able to click pictures of the Lord. Swami sweetly sat

watching as the idols were hoisted up on shoulders to their places in

the chariot. He blessed coconuts to be broken in front of the chariot

and then had the camphor waved at the idols. Blessing the procession to

begin, Swami moved back slowly to the Mandir. As He was returning, the

devotees from both the ladies and gents side thronged from above

sending down their salutations as Swami was moving through the huge

area behind the Rama, Lakshmana and Sita statues in the Sai Kulwant

Hall. Swami looked up at the devotees and blessed them. (He always

looks up to His devotees!). Keeping His promise, He collected letters

from the students as He moved through them into the interview room. He

then returned to the Bhajan Hall and asked for bhajans to begin. It was now a few minutes before 10 o'clock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watching intently

 

 

 

In the chariot

 

 

 

The procession in the village was led by the little Sathya Geetha, followed Veda chanting and bhajans

by group of students of the Sri Sathya Sai University. The whole

village came out in unity to celebrate. There were women who poured

water all along the way to wash the path to be traversed and many more

women came up in front to break coconuts and pay homage. Children came

running to just touch the chariot as it is believed to be sanctifying.

The youth were there dancing and playing fast rhythms on the drums. On

the whole, it was a cheerfully load and colorful affair. Meanwhile,

back at the Mandir, Swami sat outside for the bhajans that were on so that maximum people could benefit from having His darshan.

He called all the boys holding trays and blessed them. After about

20-25 minutes, Swami went back into the Bhajan Hall and soon, at about

10:30 a.m., received aarthi and left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The procession moved with great discipline...

 

 

 

....added with a lot of devotion and enthusiasm

 

 

 

November 19, 2008 – Ladies Day Celebrations in Prasanthi Nilayam

Swami

said right from the beginning of His Avatarhood that the redemption of

a nation has to begin with the redemption of its women and it was for

this reason that He began His massive educational revitalizing and

reform programme by starting a college for the girl students in

Anantapur. In the same manner, He dedicated November 19 as a day to

recognise the rich contributions of women and ever since the World

Ladies' Day is celebrated with intensity on the 19th of the Birthday

month. In fact, at many places, the 19th of every month is observed as

Ladies' Day. In Prasanthi Nilayam, Ladies' Day began with the

traditional Suprabhatam being sung by the renowned Telugu singer Mrs.

P. Susheela just before 5.30 a.m. Even the Veda chanting around Swami's

Mandir in the morning was done by a women's contingent.

Sai

Kulwant Hall seemed to be the bride on this day ready to receive her

Divine groom! Rows of lamps had been lined up on either side of the

path that Swami would be moving on. The brass band from the Anantapur

Campus and the bagpipes band from the Primary school stood in readiness

to escort Swami. There was also a Veda chanting group with the

traditional Poorna Kumbham. The marble block was filled with solar

lamps, water filters and blankets which Swami would be blessing to be

distributed to the needy in and around Puttaparthi. Swami arrived in

Sai Kulwant Hall at 9.30 a.m. in a procession led by the girls’ bands

of the Anantapur campus of the Sri Sathya Sai University and the

Primary School, along with Vedam chanting students, as a welcome song

was aired. As He moved onto the stage, He lit the lamp to mark the

beginning of the day's proceedings. He then sat on the ladies' side of

the stage where a huge picture of the Divine Mother Easwaramma rested,

adorning the stage by her Son's side!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The regal Ananthapur Brass Band

 

 

 

Sai students chanting the powerful Vedic hymns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lamp is lit

 

 

 

Ms. Chetana Raju delivering the introductory speech dwelled upon the mystery of Divinity encased in human form. “Most

of us live and carry upon the surface of the wondrous workings of

Bhagavan, remarkably unaware of the levels upon levels with which so

much is going on. Who is His instrument and who is not? What is God's

work and what is not?” asked the speaker. Reflecting on the right

perspective one should inculcate with our approach to Bhagavan, the

speaker further added: “We are opportunists whom Bhagavan gives 101

chances to serve and becoming a servant. Our stay on earth is like a

flicker of a candle placed against eternity. It is He what He is today,

and shall be Sri Sathya Sai what He will be tomorrow. His name will

echo in the heart of creation for ever and ever, for eternity”. So

saying she concluded her speech. The second speaker for the session was

Dr. Ankhi Mukherjee, an alumnus at Anantapur Campus between1984-1991.

Ankhi Mukherjee started with a meditation on knowing Bhagavan through

the register of "vidya" and spoke of "vidya" as the "portable property"

she has carried away from her years at the Institute. Describing her

relationship with Bhagavan as one of telepathy, both distant and

intimate (from "tele" and "pathos" of the same word), she discussed the

implication of Women's education for not just self-improvement, or the

improvement of a particular class of women, but for the overall

improvement of women. The last speaker was Sylvia Alden, from the US, a

retired teacher, holding a Masters in Special Education. In a moving

speech packed with emotion and devotion, she prayed to Swami: “Swami, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart will be acceptable to You, my Lord and my all”.

Dwelling upon the concept "Universal" and its dictionary meaning, the

speaker extolled Bhagavan to be the Universal Solution. He is that

which exists and is true in all places and at all times and in all

situations as justice and beauty. She also stressed the fact that Swami

says, "Even the words I speak as a joke is Truth." But

sadly we seem to take that declaration itself in a light manner. She

exhorted to all that we should rise out of that foolishness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Ankhi Mukherjee

 

 

 

Ms. Sylia Alden

 

 

 

As

the speeches concluded, Swami blessed the distribution to begin. The

needy had been identified and were seated in lines. They came up to the

front and bowed to Swami before receiving the gifts of Love from

various ladies who had been blessed to do that noble deed of giving.

Swami's love is such that while He gives some the joy of receiving

gifts, He gifts the joy of giving to some others - but it is sheer Joy

that He gifts to all. The solar LED lanterns, water purifiers, rugs and

other items useful for the rural folk were passed on to the recipients

drawn from various parts of Anantapur district. Swami sat watching the

proceedings throughout. After that was completed, Swami gifted

something of which everyone is needy - Grace in the form of 'sweet' prasadam! After this, Bhagawan accepted arati at 11.10 before returning to His residence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tokens of His Love awaiting distribution

 

 

 

Gifts to "light up" lives

 

 

 

In

the evening, once again Swami was ushered into Sai Kulwant Hall in a

grand and elaborate procession, with another welcome song played over

the speakers, at 5 p.m. When He completed the darshan rounds

and reached the Mandir, He moved to the Bhajan Hall where the children

from the Primary school were ready in costumes for their programme this

evening. The children were shining in their multi-coloured dresses and

Swami's eyes seemed to light up seeing them. After a brief interaction

with them, Swami came onstage and started the programme for the

evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Primary school girls' band impresses all

 

 

 

Arrival in the evening

 

 

 

The

evening session started off with a soulful rendering of devotional

music by Sunita, Surabhi Shravani and Smita. While it was a home coming

for Sunita after the wonderful opportunity during the Guru Purnima, for

the other two, it was the maiden venture - an opportunity that they

cherished; and so they expressed themselves as best as possible through

their music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tuneful trio

 

 

 

 

Starting

with an invocation prayer to Lord Ganesha, "Shuklambharadharam

Vishnum", they sang the famous "Sathyam Sivam Sundaram", "Jagadi

Sigadu", a patriotic piece, "Sri Rama Chandra Kripalu", "Allah Tero

Naam", "Vendi Ginneluka" and "Eashwar Hey Allah Ek Pukaar…", receiving

applause from the packed Sai Kulwant Hall.

In between, Swami went into the interview room for a brief while but soon returned with sarees

to give to the artists. The joy that the singing in Swami's presence

bestows is such that one becomes oblivious to everything else. That was

the case with the three singers too and it was Swami who made a sweet

request, "Its enough now! The children are waiting to perform." The

beauty with Swami is that whether He tells anyone to start singing or

stop singing, they do it instantly with the same joy! They concluded

the concert and Swami gifted sarees to the ladies and white

safari pieces to the gents. As the musicians were packing up, tiny tots

came up the stage with cards, flowers and presents.

The

name of the dance drama was "Sai Vigrahavan Prema" inspired from the

famous statement, "Ramo Vigrahavan Dharmah". Avatars have come at

different times with different missions and their glories and their

stories have become the life breath for multitudes everywhere. Is it

ever possible to bring all these incarnations on one stage depicting

their stories? This seemed to be the attempt by the students from the

Primary School through a dazzling display of light, music, dance and

drama in the fading light of the Ladies' Day evening. Their 70 minute

dance-drama brought out the glory of Sai down the ages of Krita Yuga

till the present, with video projections on the back-drop adding to the

narrative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wonderful interplay of lights...

 

 

 

....and the rich costumes dazzled everyone

 

 

 

The

story shifted between eras of time and the different Avatars to

highlight the glory of His story and the story of His glory. Shown were

episodes from Swami's childhood and dialogues were borrowed from

Swami's daily vocabulary of Telugu words and that seemed to strike at

the heart chords of the audience! The performers ranged from the 12th

standard girls till the little ones from 2nd or 3rd standard. The hard

work and sincerity of purpose and practice was easily visible in all

the performances, and so it was no surprise that Swami was very happy

at the end of their performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lucky few recognised

His Divinity then!

 

 

 

Little Sathya danced to His devotees

tunes even then!

 

 

 

He

moved down the stage and posed with the children for photos. All the

girls came in small groups and sat by Him posing for pictures. Some

spoke to Him and many took padanamaskar. Granting joy to all

His children, Swami moved up the stage again. The children were all in

the centre of the marble block as both the divine mother, Easwaramma,

and The Divine Mother, Swami, seemed to look at them with Love and

Grace. Blessing them, Swami received aarthi and retired to Yajur Mandir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smiles galore!

 

 

 

The Ultimate refuge is at His feet